sábado, 26 de octubre de 2013

Every day, more foreign visitors
of Valencia are looking for a good place to enjoy the excellent Valencia’s cuisine
but without willing to pay a high bill. And fortunately Valencia has a bunch of
restaurants that make perfectly possible to combine good food (and service) with travelling on a budget (to spend less than 30 € for a superb meal).

I guess
you have to do a little looking around and not just rely on Tripadvisor to find
the very good restaurants Valencia has at a very good price. It is true that you have to go out of these
streets full of tourists. But most of the restaurants included
below are very near from the City Center. And Valencia is not a big city. In fact, I have added after the name of the
restaurant the walking time to go there. It refers to a calm walk from the main entrance of the City
Council (without getting lost). More or less is the same as the indicated by
Google.And as you can test none of them is more than a 25 minutes walk from the indicated point.

All the included are excellent, or
very good, compared with the most commonly restaurants visited by average foreign visitor. They are own by young chefs who have found the magic formula for combining quality, service and good value
for money. And all can be considered inexpensive by any
European standard. In most, for a little more of 20 € you can have lunch (with a glass of wine generally not included in the menu) and for around 30 a suberb dinner (again in most of them).Pay attention to the websites they have, because in some cases the bill can be a little higher depending on the Menu you order.

Mulandhara

All are restaurants where at the moment local people represent 95 %
of their costumers. This fact is amazing in an era with so much information (and with so many tourists in Valencia).The fact can be explained by several reasons although two seems the most relevant. The main, besides the shortsighted attitude of local authorities who dont give any support to them, is that owners, usually the chef and his
family (not relevant women by the moment in this category), do not give too
much importance to be known outside their usual guests circle. But also, because despite
the friendly staff who will allow a foreigner to have what they want to eat without any
difficulty in being understood, the adaptation to the flow of foreigners visiting Valencia has been very limited. Just an example: most of the menus are only in Spanish.

In any case, in all of the included below, reservations are recommended specially for lunch or
on weekends (they usually have mail to be use if Spanish is not good enough for giving them a call). Otherwise the risk to not find a table is certain. Dont be afraid to use the mail, I am completely convinced that all of them will be more than glad to have you as a guest.

Kiaora

It is also important to have in mind some clues when visiting this
type of Valencia’s restaurants as far as the majority have developed some quite unique
treats. For me they are difficult to understand but this point is out of the scope of this comment.
Thus, many of the included offer at lunchtime only a set menu established by the chef (different
starters, like small tapas, and a main course, (often rice, almost always
excellent but not usually paella, or the meat dish or fish of the Day and dessert). But in the evening the same chefs offer a more sophisticated menu (at a higher price)
and sometimes several of them. Hard to understand in my view. It’s true however, that others, as indicated below, have
the Menu of the Day and a Menu list. Obviously there the choices are greater. Luckily all the ones with website explain this features (in
Spanish).

Blanquerias

On the other hand, be aware that as is most countries drinks are not usually included, which implies that the
final price will higher if wine is ordered. But the wines offered are quite interesting, and the prices marked are right. Their selection is good enough (better in reads than in whites) to taste some of the
new Spanish wines, most of them of small winemakers at a reasonable price. Last but not at least, dont forget that it's hard to find them open before 2:00 PM or 09:00 PM in the evening. This is perhaps their worst disadvantge in relation with the "tourist restaurants" open all the day around.

Another clue that should be known is that, being real or
just an excuse to make cooking more exciting for the chefs, they change the menu almost every day (or the most conservative weekly). In some cases, the
cause refered is the dependence on what can be found each day in the Market
(most of this restaurants can be included in what it’s called Cocina de Mercado: market cuisine). And in others, the reason
given is that they cook basically for loyal local people who will be bored if
the same is offered for too long.

The real effect is that website information is not
always updated. And at the same time, unfortunately it is still very difficult to find one in a
language other than Spanish or Valencian (the way we speak Catalan). If, as is
the case, in almost all of the restaurants quoted the menus are only in this
two languages and translation (especially the names of Mediterranean fishes we
have) is not always easy, it can be helpful to have at hand a small dictionary.

Another relevant aspect to know by
foreigners is that tipping is completely optional in Valencia as throughout
Spain. To tip for service is welcome everywhere. But, the fact is that most of Valencians are not leaving anything for the service
nowadays. In any case, tip amount is never as in the States a percentage of the bill. If you decide to tip, the staff generally is professional and for sure friendly, consider that in Spain it is usually based on the number
of guests. A tip of a couple or three euros is considered OK (in this
restaurants) for a party of two but can be considered unpolite for one of ten.

1.-Q de Barella
(20 min)

Set Menus
(with excellent rice dish for Lunch) from 25 €(without drinks, petit fours and bread) to 40
€. It

Q de Barella

is perhaps the most expensive of those listed here but is the best right
now in Valencia if you are on a budget.Fresh market raw productcooked
to perfection. Barella has an activepresence on Facebook but unfortunately for the aim of this post he cares more about posting pictures on the products he get in the market thanon his elaborations. His wife usually attend
the dining room and does it with professional cordiality. The menus are set,
but they allow changes between what is offered in them. The restaurant urgently
needs a website and also menus in various languages to become what it deserves (also perhaps a
faster service from the waiters). In any case, today (Fall 2013), is a Must if
you want to know what Valencian gastronomy is all about.2.-Delicat
(10 min)

A beautiful small restaurantminimalist (valencian) decorated, offering a set menu at midday for 12 €
with an incredible quality for this price. In the evening has open Menu (more
or less around 20€ without wine). Unfortunately it does not have an active
presence on Facebook nor has an website to allow checking the quality and diversity of
the menu. You can have Lunch for about 15-18€ (with a glass of good wine) and dinner in the
evening for a little over 20 € (depending again on the wine). The restaurant often
modifies the dishes offered, but in my experience they are always good
ingredients cooked with care. It's better to book because the place is small
and very appreciated by local people. Some entrees haveAsian touches and
also (less) Latin American ones in a kind of Mediterranean Fusion not very common in Valencia. An other clue: in my view, the success of the restaurant is
based, given the good cuisine present in many others, in the extreme kindness
of the owner and her attention to the guests.

3.-El
Ventorro (10 min).

El Ventorro

Located
just 200 meters from the start of Calle de la Paz, whose opposite end is one of the
mandatory stops for tourists visiting Valencia. It's a place where traditional
dishes are cooked and served like we do at home in Valencia.Therefore it is quite different from the
rest; it is what we call a Casa de Comidas; to eat like at home (although
usually more and with more wine). Here you will find the same products you have
seen at the Central Market (if you have visited it) just cooked or panfried.The owner, who manages the dining room, knows
a lot about wine. Asking for the price is appropriate because the Menu is not
always given to costumers; most of the local guest know what they are going to
pay, although surprises are not excluded. In fact has eliminated the website. In my experience you can eat here for 30-35 € with an excellent wine (one bottle for three
or four guests). Of course, ifyou
don’torderDenia shrimps or Carril clams (if
availables)!!. Check opening hours -right now I dont know where-because evening opening times vary during the
year. For Lunch is always open during weedays. Better if you book although it no as full as when it was one of
the choices of the low level bank executives who used to work nearby.

This
restaurant is perhaps the one farthest away from the tourist center of the City, but
near (just 10 min.) from de IVAM museum. Recently, its young and dynamic chef Alejandro Platero has won several relevant awards in regional rice disches contests. Enough for be included here. But it is not the only reason. He serves a lunch menu for 15 euros (plus 1,5 for the bread) with several -six- choices of rice dishes as main entree togheter with an other for 25 (Menú Degustación del Día). At
night, the cheflet free
hisimagination and

Platero and his wife (or Bernal and her husband)

offers an
evening dinner that delight his fans. The price in the evening is not as moderate, but if one has
to believe the comments published it is good value for your bucks. Maybe some
dishes are a little too strong for people of a certain age like me but is
Valencian cuisine100%. He is also
present on Facebook and has a complete website where you can find information about what he
offers. Like most of the restaurants here listed the menus are set. If you like to discover valencian cuisine and you dont have limitations in your taste, you will be delighted
by his good cuisine. (PD.: Platero is the only chef I know in Spain that after a crude criticism in this blog, it is my way to write comments, posted it in his Facebook page and (for sure without agreeing with me), interact through private messages in order to improve the points stated.)

Excellent restaurant
almostalways full located less than
five minutes away from Plaza de la Reina.Therefore if you
think in visiting it, it is necessary to book.It serves Mediterranean cuisine
and is one with awebsite with enough information (not always updated) to get a very good idea of what you can eat there.
Unfortunately all in Spanish as far as I know. Good prices and better
quality. Luch Menu for 20 € (19,50) with a glass of wine and coffee. Interesting wine list but less than in other places. Offers twoset Menus (menu del día y menu degustación)and and one open which is a great advantage
if you like to choose what you want to eat.It allows small changes if a dish of the set menus dislikes
you. Beautifullly decorated its main drawback is that it's quite noisy. In part because
Valencians we are, but also because it has put too many tables for the
soundproofing they have. Some of the friendly staff speaks a little English
which can be always helpful.

Torres de
Serranosand the old river. It is a very
good option both if your are visiting the IVAM Museum or the Barrio del Carmen.
Opened very recently (again this post is from Fall 2013) but is becoming one of
the better moderately priced options in the city. The two chefs come from Mar
d’Avellanes.Offers good local products and has several
advantages besides location (if you are in the area). Offers set menu but also a
quite complete open Carte to introduce yourself in the Mediterranean cuisine.Has a comfortable distribution of tables
and the wine list is quite interesting with
most of the references at a moderate price. Here you can have lunch with the set menu
(includes a glass of wine or a bier) for about 25 €. A little more if you
choose from the Carte. The website is outstanting but...just in Spanish.

A creative
chef who is specializing in organic products and moving very fast into new
imaginative creations full of color (I have nottasted them yet). It has a set menu at midday for 15 euros (posted in
Facebook) with bread and coffee (without drinks) where he demonstrates his
expertise. Usually it has a rice dish, the national product of the Valencian
Community. In the eveningand at a
higher price (around 30 € without wine also set menu) the chef demonstrates all
his abilities as you can see in the pictures (fall 2013) in Facebook. Friendly service but
a little slow when full. Its main
drawback is that the place is quite noisy and a little bit to austere. Offers only set
menus. But this is much more than a fashion now in Valencia; it is a Tsunami.
Fortunately for them, because I have a minority taste. Two Thumbs-up!: Web partly in English and opens half an hour before the average (13:30 and 20:30).

In the
center of Barrio del Carmen. I have put it at the bottom of the list not
because it's inferior to the others but because my reference is older and
things change in gastronomy (or can do) very quickly. It does not seem the case
because on Facebook it’s possible to see some recent contributions (good-looking).
Also you can find the Menus on the web, with very moderate prices.Unfortunately, it can be applied here the
indicated at the beginning of the post about the frequent variations in what
this type of restaurant offer. So it is hard to

La Comisaría

figure what exactly are you
going to eat a specific day. In any case, la Comisaria has a combination of
good productcooked withother cuisines touches(mainly Asian). For local people like me who
can get [most of] the extraordinary product the Mediterrean gives us at the
Mercado Central this kind of restaurants gives us extra flavors.The staff has been always I went very friendly. The caveat: the place is (very) small. But it has to be said
that it has a proper distribution of tables.